Carton making machine



Sept. 7, 1937.

c. M. STITT CARTON MAKING- MACHINE Filed Dec. 23, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR CZHUDE M57777- Y 616012. J

H/.5 ATTORNEY Se t. 7, 1937. c. M. STlTT CARTON MAKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 23, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CLAUDE M BY em /-//5 ATTORN EY C. M. STITT CARTON MAKING MACHINE Sept. 7, 1937.

Filed Dec. 23, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR CLAUDE M j /rr BY HA5 ATTORNEY I Sept; 7, 1937. c. M. STITT CARTON MAKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 23, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 @ww 1 @mW I200 w@ M H. 7 E E INVENTOR unique M sr/rr H/fi ATTORNEY Sept. 7, 1937, c. M. STITT CARTON MAKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 23, 1936 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 BY 6&2. $5.2-

H/s ATTORNEY 7, 193 7 C.M. STITT 2,092,292

CARTON MAKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 23, 1936 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR CLAUDE/1457777 H/J ATTORNEY species of my invention, as 'I may adopt variant My machine is principally for the purpose of embodiments thereof within the scope of the o d ng the legs 4 of the carton, and is Shown claims. as an attachment for a machine I l (see Figures 20 Referring to the drawings: 1 and having a reciprocating head "5 adapted operated on by my machine. ll of my machine lies in the same plane as the 25 Figure 3 is a plan view of the machine; and bed of the associated machine l4, and is supported Figure 4 is a perspective view of the carton by suitable legs l8.

formed by my machine from the blank shown in As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the blanks to be Figure 2. folded are fed into the machine endwise so that Patented Sept. 7, 1937 v t t t UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claude M. Stitt,'Antioch, Calif., assignor to Fibreboard Products Inc., San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application December 23, 1936, Serial No. 117,279- 20 Claims. (01. 93-49) My invention relates to a machine for making also a a d to app y a siv f r m ti the cartons having depending legs; and the broad obwalls together when they are folded up.

ject of the invention is to provide mechanism for In greater detail, the machine embodying my folding portions of the carton blank to form the t on is designed to fold a carton formin 5 legs. blank 2, such as shown in Figure 2, having lon- Another object of my invention is to provide a gitlldinal s re lines 3'adapted to be folded to machine operating in conjunction with a reciproform legs '4 dep n from the Side Walls 5 of eating head for forming the carton, and adapted the carton, as shown in Figure 4. The carton to form collapsed legs by tucking inwardly poralso has end walls I folded up from transverse tions of the blank prior to the formation of the score lines 8 and fastened to side wall tabs .9, carton by the head. and has a cover ll provided with a tuck l2. The invention possesses the bje t d t Diagonal crease lines l3 in the front side and tures of advantage, some of which, with the foreend walls permit collapsing the set-up carton. going, will be set forth in the following descrip This general type of carton is described in detail tion of my invention. It is to be understood in t e p t to Brown a d F r 1,876,200, 15 that I do not limit myself to this disclosure of issued September 6, 1932.

Figure 1 is a side elevational view ofa carton to engage the bottom forming portion of the making machine embodying the improvements of blank and fold up the side and vend walls 6 and my invention; and I I. This latter machine is commonly known in the Figure 2 is a plan view of the carton blank art as the Brightwood machine. The bed frame Figure 5 i an d e1evationa1view of th man the longitudinal lines 3 are parallel with the 30 chine, looking in the direction of arrow 5 in Figlongitudinal axis of the machine. The blanks ure 1. v are fed from a chute l9 having a vertically ad- Figure 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view iustable front plate 2| un Which the h showing the leg forming mechanism, taken in a are allowed to pass out one at a time. A movable plane indicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 1. block 22 at the rear of the chute operates to push 35 Figure, '7 is a longitudinal vertical sectional he lowermost blank out of the chute and into view of the leg forming mechanism, taken in a feed rolls 23. The reciprocating block 22 is opplan'e i d gt d y t line 1 .1, f Figure 6, eratedby suitable mechanism from a drive sprock- Figures 8 to 13 are diagrammatic views illuset 24, and a suitable clutch is preferably provided trating the operation of the leg forming mechn t e me a sm an Operated y a lever 26 4o anism. for starting and stopping the block.

In terms of broad inclusion, my machine for From rolls 23 the blank is fed into a gluing making a carton having depending legs comunit 26 having a pair of glue wheels 21 againstprises means for tucking inwardly portions of a which the blank is pressed by supporting rollers .carton making blank to form a leg. Means are 28. These wheels are arranged to apply strips of 45 preferably provided for applying adhesive to the glue alongside the outer longitudinal lines 3 for tucked-in portions, and means are also 'prefpurposes Ofi securing together portions of the erably provided for applying pressure to the blank which are later folded into-legs. The glutucked-in parts to cement the leg forming poring unit and feeding mechanism are both driven tions together. A reciprocating head is preferfrom a sprocket 29 on shaft 3| by a chain 32 5 ably arranged for operation in time with. the leg passing over sprockets 24 and 25 of the feed forming mechanism "for folding up the walls of mechanism and a sprocket 33 on the supporting the carton, and means are provided for delivering roller shaft of the gluing unit. An idler sprocket the partially. folded blank from the leg forming 33 is also provided for guiding the chain.-

mechanism to the head. A gluing mechanism is From the gluing unit the blank passes between 55 another pair of feed rolls 36 which deliver the blank into the leg forming mechanism. The latter, as best seen in Figure '7, comprises an upper head 31 supported on rods 38 slidably mounted in the frame of the machine and pressed down-,

wardly by springs 39; downward movement of the head being limited by cap nuts M on the upper ends of the rods. The blank is pressed against this head and held in folding position by a plate 42 mounted on depending rods 43 also slidable in the frame of the machine and normally held in down position by springs 44. Plate 42 and the overlying head 31 are separated when a blank is being fed into the folding mechanism by rolls 36, and both the plate and head are elongated in shape to engage only the bottom forming portions of the carton blank between the crease lines 3 when the plate and head come together to clamp the blank.

The holding plate 42 is moved up by a cam 48 on shaft 4'! journaled in the lower portions of the frame. Motion is transmitted from the cam by a lever 40 (see Figure 6) pivoted on the frame and carrying a follower roller 49 riding on the cam. An upwardly extending arm is arranged with its lower end pivoted to the lever 48 and its upper end pivoted to a cross member 52 connected to and extending between the rods 43. By this arrangement the blank holding plate 42 is moved up and down when the shaft 41 rotates. Figures 8 to 13 show the motion of plate 42. The first action is to close the space between the plate and head 3! and press the blank up against the head. Continued upward movement of the plate also moves the head upwardly against its spring pressure until the upper limit of movement is reached. In other words, the action of the parts is twofold; first, to hold the blank, and second, to give the blank thus held an upward movement.

Prior to the clamping of the blank between the plate and head, suitable fingers 58 operate to engage the ends of the blank at opposite sides of the plate to accurately position the blank so that the inside score l'mes 3 lie along the side edges of plate 42. As shown in Figure 6, the fingers 56 are slidably pivoted on fixed pins 51 working in slots 58 in the intermediate portions of the fingers. The lower ends of the fingers are pinned together to a lever 59 on a cross shaft 6|. By this arrangement the fingers are given a si multaneous upward and closing motion to engage the end tabs 1 of the blank and center the blank on the plate 42.

Fingers 56 are normally held down and open by a spring 62 (see Figure 7) encircling shaft GI and secured at one end to the frame and at the other end to a collar 63 on the shaft. The fingers are operated by another lever 84' on shaft 6| and carrying a pin I36 lying in the forked end of a rod 6! pivoted at its lower end to an arm 68 having a follower roller 69 riding on a cam II fixed on shaft 41.

After the blank is positioned and clamped between plate 42 and head 31, suitable fingers 12 come into operation to tuck inwardly the portions of the blank between the longitudinal crease lines 3 to form the carton legs 4. As best shown in Figures 8 to 10, fingers 12 are positioned alongside the lower edges of head 31 so that the fingers press down the blank to start the tuck folding operation by reason of the upward movement of the blank. Subsequently fingers 12 move inwardly to tuck the blank under the edges of plate 42.

This latter movement of the tucking fingers is effected by rotating shafts I3 on which the fingers are mounted. Both shafts carry segment gears 14, one of which is shown in Figure 7, meshed with worms "I6 on a cross shaft 11 (see Figure 3). The latter shaft is in turn rotated by a rack 18 mounted on rod I9 pivoted to crank 8| on shaft 82. A lever 83, also on shaft 82, is actuated by a rod 84 having a forked end guided on shaft 3| and carrying a follower roller 86 riding in a cam 81 fixed on shaft 3I. The cam imparts a reciprocating motion to rack I8, which in turn gives a swinging in and out motion to tucking fingers I2;

After the tuck is formed, means are provided for pressing the tucked in portions of the blank against plate 42 to glue the leg portions together. This is accomplished by moving pressure elements 88 up against the tucked in portions. Elements 88 are carried by a cross beam 89 slidably mounted on a pair of vertical rods 9| fixed in the frame of the machine; the beam being pressed upwardly by springs 92 encircling the rods. See Figure 6. Up and down motion is imparted to beam 89 by a pair of connecting rods 93 pivoted between the beam and cranks 94 journaled in the frame. The crank shafts each have a gear 96 meshed with racks 91 carried by a plate 98 slidable vertically in guideways 99 on the frame of the machine. As best shown in Figure 7, plate 98 is provided with a follower roller IOI riding in 'a cam I02 on shaft 41.

As the racks 97 are reciprocated vertically by the cam, the crank shaft gears 96 are given a turning motion back and forth through a predetermined arc, and the beam 89 is reciprocated vertically. This motion of the beam is such that in its upper limit of travel the elements apply pressure to the tucked in portions of the blank, as shown in Figures 11 and 12.

At the time when the tucking fingers 12 are moving inwardly, means are provided for holding down the edges of the blank, and means are also provided for moving this edge holding means inwardly in time with the tucking finger movement. For this purpose a pair of plates I03 are slidably mounted on beam 89 with suitable flanges I04 extending downwardly to guide the plates. Each flange is cut with teeth to provide racks I06 meshed with segment gears I 01 on the pivot shafts I08 of connecting rods 93, so that-when beam 89 moves upwardly the plates I03 are simultaneously moved inwardly. I

The edges of the blank are held down against plates I03 by suitable pivoted fingers-I09 normally pressed upwardly and inwardly by springs III. Fingers I09 are moved down against the blank by cams II2 mounted on another set of shafts II3. These shafts carry segment gears II4, one of which is shown in Figure 7, meshed with worms II6 on a cross shaft 1. See Figure 3. The latter shaft is rotated by a rack II8 carried by a rod I I9 pivoted to a crank I2I. The latter is actuated by a rod and cam, similar to rod 84 and cam 81. Motion of hold down fingers I09 is such that the fingers clamp down when plates I03 are out, and then move inwardly with the plates when the tucking fingers I2 move inwardly. This following in of the edge holding means keeps the edges of the blank properly held, but at the same time allows the tucks to be formed without stressing the blank material.

After the legs have been formed, and head 37 and plate 42 have been separated by downward movement of beam 89 to free the blank, the latter is pulled from the plate by a set of feed rolls I22. See Figure "I. The first pair of these rolls are in position to engage the leading end of the blank whenever one is in the folding mechanism; but these rolls are normally inactive lie-- cause they are held separated by links I23. When the folding is finished however, the links I23 pull down the upper roll tofeed the blank forward. The action of the separable rolls is controlled by a lever I24 connected to link I23 and moved by a rod I26 (Figures 1 and5) pivoted to an arm of a bell crank I2'I. The other arm of the crank carries a follower roller I26 riding on a cam I29 on shaft 41.

Feed rolls I22 deliver the partially folded blank onto a conveyor chain I30 (Figures 1 and 3) running transversely across the end of the machine. This conveyor then delivers the blank to the feed rolls I3I (Figure 5) of the Brightwood machine, which feed the blank to the plunger I6, at which point the side walls of the blank are folded up to complete the carton. While the blank is traveling along on the conveyor it passes through a second gluing unit I35 having a gluing roller I32 and a supporting roller I33. This gluing unit applies adhesive to the end tabs 1 of the blank for uniting these end walls to the side wall tabs .9 when the walls are folded up by the plunger I6.

Another feature of the machine, shown in Figure 5, is the provision of a second chute I34 for holding blanks to be folded into cartons similar to that shown in Figure 4, but without the legs.

In this case, the leg folding mechanism is unnecessary, and the blanks are fed by a pusher block I36 and feed rolls I3'I directly onto the conveyor chains I30; a widened plate I38 being arranged alongside the conveyor to guid the blanks.

My ,machine is designed to be driven-from the shaft I39 of the Brightwood machine- A shaft MI is journaled on the side of my machine," and is connected by a drive chain I IZ for continuous rotation with the shaft I 39. A chain I43 from the shaft I4I drives the conveyor chains I30,so that thelatter are running whenever the Brightwood machine is operating. Gluing unit I35 is also driven at the same time by suitable connection with the chain drive I33. The main shaft 41 of my machine is driven by a chain I33 running on a sprocket I36 freely journaled on shaft I39, and also passing around a sprocket ItI on the shaft III. The drive is then continued from shaft 41 to shaft 3I by a gear and worm unit I 36.

Chain I44 also passes over a sprocket I 39 on shaft I5I, from which the various feed rolls 36 and I22 are driven. A belt drive I52 connects shaft I5I to shaft I53, and the latter in turn is geared to the feed roll shafts I54 by suitable gears I56. See Figure 6 wherein the feed roll .shafts are shown together with the spring pressed mountings I5I for the upper roll shafts.

In order to put the leg folding mechanism in operation, means are provided for clutching the freely journaled sprocket I36 to shaft I39. For this purpose, and referring particularly to Figure 3, a clutch element I53 is slidably mounted for rotation on shaft I39 and is movable into engagement with sprocket I46 by a shift lever I59 on slide rod I6I having a handle I62 adjacent one side of the machine.

When it is desired to use the chute I34, for folding cartons without legs, the leg folding mechanism is disconnected by disengaging clutch ele- 'ment I53. Means are provided for then hooking naled on shaft MI and engageable with the hub of sprocket I on which the chain I42 runs. Element I63 also carries a sprocket I64 for driving a chain I66 which runs over sprocket I61 of the feed mechanism and also sprocket I68 of the feed rollsv I3I. Clutch element I63 is operated by a shift lever. I69 also mounted on slide rod I6I, so that an operator may optionally engage the clutch elements I50 and I63 by manipulation of handle I62. Figure 3 shows clutch I50 engaged. and clutch I63 disengaged, meaning that the leg folding mechanism is in operation and the feed from chute I34 is inactive. Chute I33 and gluing unit I35 are omitted in both Figures 1 and'3 to simplify these views. 1

In the operation of, my machine, for folding .moves up to clamp the blank in the folding position'. Further upward movement of plate 02 then elevates the blank against fingers l2 and starts folding the blank aboutthe edges of the plate.

Simultaneously the blank supporting plates I63 move up to clamp'the edges or the blank against I fingers I09. Fingers I2 then swing inwardlyto' complete the tuckingoperation, and at the same time platesI03 and gripping fingers I09 move inwardly to allow for the material being taken in by the tucks. Tucking fingerslZ then swing back, and the beam which supports plates I63 continues to rise until elements 63 press up against the tucked-in portions of the blank. The

beam. then lowers to depress elements 33 and plates I03, thus freeing the edge por ions of the blank. Simultaneously plate 42 start down and continues down to a point below the lower limit of travel of head 3'I, thus separating the head and plate to release the blank.

As soon as the blank is released the normally separated feed rolls I22 come together to start feeding the partially folded blank out of the leg v folding mechanism. This feeding of the blank between rollers and otherwise treating the blank as a sheet is possible because the folded legs at this time are collapsed and lie substantially in the plane of the blank. Pressure of rolls I22 also helps to press the tucked-in portions against the body of the blank and gives time for the glue to partially set.

' From rolls I 22 the blank is discharged on conveyor chains I30 by which it is fed in a direction I at right angles to its former path. As the blank passes through gluing unit I35 it receives spots of glue on the end Wall tabs I and then passes into the Brightwood machine. Feed rollers I3I pass the blank to its folding position under the plunger I6 which then descends to fold up the Walls of the blank and press the tabs 9 against the glue on the end walls. As the side Walls 6 are folded up the legs I automatically fold down by reason of the fact that they form a continuation of the side walls.

Kit is desired to fold blanks into cartons without legs, the drive to the leg folding mechanism is disconnected and blanks are fedfrom chute I34. These blanks are discharged on conveyor chains I30 and are fed directly through gluing unit I35 and into the Brightwood machine.

I claim:

1. A machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, comprising means engaging intermediate portions of the blank for holding the blank in a folding position, means for tucking inwardly portions of the blank to form a leg and means for holding the edge portions of the blank during the tucking operation.

2.- A machine for making a carton having de-'- pending-legs from a blank, comprising means for holding the blank in a folding position, means for tuckinginwardly portions of the blank to form a leg, and means separate from said tucking means for applying pressure to the tucked in portions.

3. A machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, comprising means for feeding the blank to a folding position, position-' ing fingers engaging the edges of the blank for accurately positioning the blank in said position, means for holding the positioned blank, and means for tucking inwardly portions of the blank to form a leg.

,4. A machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, comprising a finger for tucking inwardly portions of the blank to form a leg, means for moving the blank relative to the finger to start the tucking operation, means for moving the finger to complete the tucking operation, means for withdrawing the finger, and means for applying pressure to the tucked in portions.

5. A machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, comprising a head against which the blank may be pressed to hold it in folding position, a plate for pressing the blank against the head, and means for tucking inwardly over the rim of the plate portions of the blank to form a leg.

6. A machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, comprising a head against which the blank may be pressed to hold it in folding position, a plate for pressing the blank against the head, means for tucking inwardly over the rim of the plate portions of the blank to form a leg, and means for pressing the tucked in portions against the plate.

7. A machine for making acarton having depending legs from a blank, comprising a head against which the blank may be pressed to hold it in folding position, a plate for pressing the blank against the head, a finger for tucking inwardly over the rim of the plate portions of the blank to form a leg, means for moving the plate, head and interposed blank relative to the finger to start the tucking operation, and means for moving the fingerto complete the tucking operation. I

8. A machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, comprising a head against which the blank may be pressed to hold it in folding position, a plate for pressing the blank against the head, a finger for tucking inwardly over the rim of the plate portions of the blank to form a leg, means for moving the plate, head and interposed blank relative to the finger to start the tucking operation, means for moving the finger to complete the tucking operation, means for pressing the tucked in portion against the plate, and means for separating the plate and head to free the folded blank.

9. A machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, comprising a spring pressed head against which the blank may be pressed to hold it in folding position, a plate for pressing the blank against the head, a finger for tucking inwardly over the rim of the plate portions of the blank to form a leg, means for moving the plate upwardly against the spring pressure on the head to move the plate, head and interposed blank relative to the finger to start the tucking operation, and means for moving the finger to complete the tucking operation.

10. A machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, comprising a spring pressed head having a lower position of rest and against which the blank may be pressed to hold it in folding position, a plate for pressing the blank against the head, a finger for tucking inwardly over the rim of the plate portions of the blank to form a leg, means for moving the plate upwardly against the spring pressure on the head to move the plate, head and interposed blank relative to the finger to start the tucking operation, means for moving the finger to complete the tucking operation, and means for lowering the plate below the rest position of the head to free the folded blank.

11. A machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, comprising means engaging intermediate portions of the blank to hold it in folding position with the edges of the blank extending outwardly beyond the holding means, means engaging said outwardly extending edge portions of the blank for holding the latter, and means for tucking inwardly portions of the blank between said means'to form a leg.

12. A machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, comprising means engaging intermediate portions of the blank to hold it in folding position, means engaging edge portions of the blank for holding the latter, means for tucking inwardly portions of the blank to form a leg, and means for moving the edge holding means inwardly during the operation of said tucking means.

13. A machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, comprising a head against which the blank may be pressed to hold it in folding position, a plate for pressing the blank against the head, a finger for tucking inwardly over the rim of the plate portions of the blank to form a leg, means for moving the plate,

head and interposed blank relative to the finger to start the tucking operation, means for moving the finger to complete the tucking operation, means for holding the edge portions of the blank, and means for moving the edge holding means inwardly in time with the movement of said tucking finger.

14. A machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, comprising a head against which the blank may be pressed to hold it in folding position, a plate for pressing the blank against the head, a finger for tucking inwardly over the rim of the plate portions of the blank to form a leg, means for moving the plate, head 'and interposed blank relative to the finger to start the tucking operation, means for moving the finger to complete the tucking operation, a movable element for pressing the tucked-in portions against the plate, means movable with said element for holding the edge portions'of the blank, and means for moving the edge holding means inwardly in time with the movement of said tucking finger.

15. In a machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, the combination with means for folding the blank to form the carton, of means for tucking inwardly portions of the blank to form "a le and means for feeding the blank from the last mentioned means to said carton forming means.

16. In a machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, the combination with a reciprocating head for folding the blank to form the carton, of means for tucking inwardly'portions of the blankto form a leg, and means for ieedi'ng the blank from the last mentioned means to said head.

17. In a machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, the combination with means for folding the blank to form the carton, of means for applying adhesive to portions of the blank, means for tucking inwardly said portions of the blank to form a leg, and means for feeding the blank from the last mentioned means to said carton forming means.

18. In a machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, the combination with means for folding the blank to form the carton, of means for applying adhesive to portions of the blank means for tucking inwardly said portions of the blank to form a leg, means forfeeding the blank from the last mentioned means tosaid carton forming means, and means )for applying adhesive to other portions of the blank while the latter is being transferred by said feeding means.

19. A machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, comprising a plate over which the blank may lie with an edge portion extending beyond an edge of the plate, a finger positioned above the blank outside said edge of the plate and inwardly from the outwardly extending edge. of the blank, and means for causing relative movement between the plate and finger to fold portions of the blank downwardly and inwardly over the edge of the plate to 'form a tuck in the body of the blank, said finger-lying in the fold of the tuck when the latter is being formed.

20. A machine for making a carton having depending legs from a blank, comprising a .plate over which the blank may lie with an edge portion extending beyond an edge of the plate, a finger positioned above. the blank outside said edge of the plate and inwardly from the outwardly extending edge of 'the'blank, means for holding said outwardly extending edge of the blank, and means for causing relative movement between the plate and finger to fold portions of the blank downwardly and inwardly over the edge of the plate to form a tuck in the body of the blank, said finger lying in the fold of the tuck when the latter is being formed.

CLAUDE M. STI'I'I. 

